News

Petshop fears riot threat

An Enfield petshop has revealed how it feared for the safety of its birds and other stock in the recent riots. On Sunday, August 7, rioters broadcast a message on Blackberry smart phones threatening to blow up an adjacent petrol garage.

The message read: The BP garage at Bullsmoor Lane is getting blown up later tonight by the rioters. Anyone who lives at Bullsmoor, Elsinge Estate etc, you need to get out and stay as far away as possible.

Waterworld, a pet and aquatic centre on the Great Cambridge road, was already on alert after police warned of further attacks following the vandalism and looting at a nearby retail park. Zara Darcy, manager of Petworld, the petshop inside Waterworld, said: “We weren’t worried for our shop at first, but then we were made aware of the Blackberry broadcast threat. The petrol garage is right opposite the petshop. It might just be a threat, but we don’t know. The police are telling nearby shops to shut by 5pm, but there is not a police officer in sight.”

Ms Darcy, who looks after the shop’s livestock including a variety of birds, puppies, kittens, small animals, said: “I passed the retail park on Monday, August 8, and there were a few police officers at each shop door guarding so nobody could come in. Windows were smashed and there were rumours that Pets At Home had been attacked.”

She continued: “I don’t know what will happen. I want to take all the animals home. Anywhere can get ransacked, nowhere is safe. People are scared around here, we’ve had hardly any customers today. There isn’t anything we can do if people start rioting here. How are we going to go up against them?”

During the riots at the retail park two vehicles were set on fire and Comet, Sports Direct and Currys were ransacked. An eye witness described the front doors of Comet hanging on their hinges and security shutters having been forced open.

Nick de Bois, Conservative MP for Enfield North, said: “We saw an attack on a police vehicle. I saw it from a distance and that seemed to set things off to a new level.”